Disclaimer - I do not own any rights to, nor am I in any way affiliated with the television show "Hunter", its staff or characters.

"Hello?" She answered the phone. "I'm fine, thanks. And you?"

"I'm great. I'm anxious to see you tonight." He said.

"Yeah, I'm getting excited myself." She said with a smile.

"I'll pick you up at seven thirty."

"I'll be ready."

---

With every passing minute, Dee Dee's anticipation grew stronger and stronger to be with him. She would actually catch her heart skip a beat and her stomach flutter with butterflies at the thought of being with the man she loved.

The man she loved.

She never thought she could fall in love so easily and so quickly with someone, but she soon found out otherwise. He was handsome, intelligent, strong, caring, and considerate, had a great sense of humor and respected her for the strong independent woman that she was. How could she let someone like that slip by? She couldn't.

One thing that nearly caused her to let him slip by was his occupation. She never considered dating a police officer. She knew that as an officer herself, she'd have enough worries about her colleagues who were out in the streets with the dregs of humanity. Why would she want to be romantically linked with someone she'd worry about?

Her love for him overruled her worries.

She sighed contently at the idea of what tonight would bring, and began to put together her outfit. She chose a pale pink dress that hit just below the knee, had chiffon sleeves and a slight V-neckline. Her two inch heel sandals and purse were each a perfect match being one shade of pink darker than the dress. Her dark hair, full of soft curls rested softly on her shoulders and her diamond solitaire earrings shone brightly through her hair when the light hit them just right.

By the time she was completely dressed, her doorbell rang, indicating that her date had arrived.

With a smile on her face, she opened the door to see the love of her life standing outside her door with a bouquet of long-stemmed pink roses with baby's breath, and a large heart-shaped box of chocolates.

"Oh, I got your favorites. The whole box is filled with chocolate covered cherries and strawberries."

"Fantastic! We can share them later if you want."

"Sure. Shall we go?"

"I'm ready."

Dee Dee was in for a great surprise at the restaurant. When they entered she thought of how lucky they were to get a reservation as the place was packed. But when the maître d' led them to the second story patio, she could see that they would be the only guests in that area. The scenery was breathtaking; a view overlooking the city, strings of pink and white lights around the banister and railings, and some draped overhead. The table was covered with a white tablecloth, there were pink and white roses in the center of the table and the table was set with white china with silver trim. A bottle of champagne sat in the silver ice bucket between two long fluted glasses that would soon contain the bubbly beverage. There was a small portable stereo in the corner of the patio, and the song that was playing; "Tonight I Celebrate My Love for You".

Dee Dee couldn't believe how beautiful everything was.

"Steve. I love it." She moved in to hug him. "And I love you, too."

"I love you, Dee Dee. I love you with all my heart."

The two danced to the song until it was over, and then took a seat at their table. Soft romantic music continued to play throughout their meal, and once they finished, they began to dance again.

"Steve. I can't think of any other place I'd rather be right now. When I'm with you, there's nothing else on my mind but you."

"You've just said what I wanted to say about you." Steve stepped back just enough to look into her eyes. "I don't ever want this feeling to end, Dee Dee. I want us to feel that there's nothing else in the world when we're together. Nothing or no one would matter as long as we have each other."

"I know, Steve. I know."

"So you can imagine having the rest of your life this way?"

"Yes, I can." She starred into his eyes. "Always."

He took her hand and led her to her chair for her to sit down. "In that case…" He knelt down on one knee. "You should have this, along with my heart." He handed her a small pink jewelry box.

Dee Dee's hands trembled slightly with nerves. She opened the box which held a stunning half carat diamond ring, Princess cut, with baguettes on each side.

"Please marry me, Dee Dee, and be mine forever, as I will be yours. The rest of your life will be just as tonight is, and more. I promise you that, because I love you and I want you to always be happy."

Dee Dee looked at Steve with complete love in her eyes. "Steve, sweetheart, I would love to marry you. I'll be yours forever."

After Steve placed the ring on his Dee Dee's finger, they both stood and held one another in a long and silent embrace, and slowly began to sway to the slow romantic tune, "This Ring (Is for the Lover in You).

Steve placed a gentle kiss upon his fiancée's lips. "Why don't we leave here and go home. I really need and want to be with you right now."

The couple arrived at Dee Dee's house and quickly began to strip themselves of their clothing as they made their way down the hall to the bedroom. Steve scooped Dee Dee up into his arms and gently placed her on her back on the bed. He lay beside her and they both slipped beneath the covers and exchanged passionate kisses and caresses to explore their bodies. For the remainder of the night, they made love many times over with extreme passion and desire.

After near totally exhaustion, they nestled in each other's arms, silently listening to each other's breathing and heartbeats.

Dee Dee thought of how lucky she was to have found the perfect man, and how they'd spend the rest of their lives together. She turned to Steve. "I love you with all my heart. I'm so happy to have you in my life, and to know that I'll be yours from now own. Nothing…nothing can tear us apart." She smiled and settled back against Steve as he agreed with her.

-----

Dee Dee was awakened by the soft sounds of raindrops against on the roof and window pane. She turned toward where Steve was sleeping.

He wasn't there.

He didn't slip out of bed and abandon her on the night of their engagement. Steve had been gone…dead, for over two years. But the memory of the night he proposed was always brought clearer into light for Dee Dee during Valentine's Day. She looked at the clock on her nightstand…it was after midnight…Valentine's Day. Her eyes filled with water, as she thought of her greatest love that was lost. Their short marriage was better than she could have hoped for, but she knew they were cheated out of so much more that could have been. She lay quietly, listening to the rain, while teardrops rolled down her cheeks. "Why did he have to leave me?" She asked herself.

Suddenly there was a light and familiar fragrance in the bedroom. Dee Dee immediately recognized it as Steve's aftershave. She sighed with contentment and her tears began to dry.

She spoke barely above a whisper. "I miss you so much, Steve. I'll always love you. No matter what man may come into my life, and even if I marry again, you'll always have a special place reserved in my heart. Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart."

Soon a calming sensation came over Dee Dee and she was able to fall asleep again with thoughts of the true happiness she shared with Steve.

She knew that deep down that Steve was always with her, and always would be.

End

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